Surgery Date for G-Tube Removal

Surgery Date for G-Tube Removal

We have a surgery date! One week from today (November 15) Apollo will have his g-tube removed and his stoma surgically closed up. We are both nervous and excited!

One week from today (November 15) Apollo will have his g-tube removed and his stoma surgically closed. We are both nervous and excited!

The procedure is a minor out-patient surgery. The surgeon will remove the tube and add three layers of stitches. One layer in his stomach, one layer in his muscle wall and a final layer at the skin level.

The procedure requires a general anesthetic but should be quick and relatively easy. The biggest risk is developing an infection. The doctor says he has a 1 in 20 chance of getting a post-surgical infection. Yeah, that’s a bit worrisome. The doctor will give him a large dose of antibiotics before he begins. No antibiotics after. The doctor said it doesn’t change the rate of infections.

If you’re the praying type, we love prayers for a safe, infection-free procedure.

We will be so happy to no longer have a foreign body in him. He has struggled with infections and granulation tissue for four and a half years.

Change is hard…especially when that tube has been his lifeline for the past four years, but we are looking forward to a bright, tube-free future!

These photos were taken by my good friend and talented photographer Jen Bogle. She is a stock photographer and Apollo modeled for her…perhaps you’ll see his handsome face and g-tube in an ad somewhere, someday!